Most often, in grocery stores you can see frozen fish. If it belongs to the sturgeon or salmon species, then it is stored individually. Medium and small fish are placed in special forms of 12 kilograms. If we talk about herring, sprats or sprats, then briquettes with a weight of not more than one kilogram are used for its transportation and storage.
If the frozen fish is of high quality, then it has an attractive appearance and excellent taste. Her body is dense and does not change its shape after thawing, the abdomen is not swollen. It is characterized by bright red gills, convex and bright eyes (if the carcasses are not separated). In addition, fresh produce sinking quickly when placed in water.
How to choose the right fish?
It should be noted right away that there is a certain difference between the concepts of “frozen” and “fresh-frozen” fish. So, fresh-frozen is called a fish that is exposed to low temperatures either live, or immediately after gutting and separating the head. In this case, special refrigerators are used.
It must be remembered that such fish can be stored for no more than 3 days at a temperature of 0 ° C or up to 15 days at -5 ° C. If the store that sells such products does not have an appropriate refrigeration room, then all goods must be sold within 24 hours.
Frozen fish cools at a lower temperature, which can be -18 ° C. In this case, the moisture in the tissues of the carcass freezes. When thawing, such a fish can become somewhat soft and watery. In addition, its
nutritional value is reduced compared to fresh produce.
It should also be mentioned that for better storage, fish can be coated with ice glaze. It is designed to protect against drying, it must be transparent and thin. If you notice a thick layer of ice, and the carcass itself is snow-white, it is better to refuse to buy, because most of the money you will pay for water, and not for fish meat.
To date, the best semi-finished product is considered fillet, which is characterized by significant demand among buyers, since it can be used without pre-processing.
It should be noted that frozen fish can be offered in the form of minced meat. It comes in two varieties. The first grade is made only of fillet, the second consists of grilled carcasses together with bones and skin. I must say that the stuffing is made from a wide variety of fish species and is frozen directly on ships at a temperature of at least -30 ° C.
In cooking, there are many recipes for preparing a wide variety of fish dishes. High-quality frozen fish has almost the same taste as fresh fish, but you need to be able to cook it correctly. An important point that must not be forgotten is its defrosting.
It must be remembered that frozen fish cannot tolerate warm water, as it makes it flabby and tasteless. If you plan to cook the fillet, then it is advisable to thaw it in the air, which prevents a significant loss of nutrients and vitamins.